Zimbabwe will face Bangladesh in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo today. The hosts head into the contest with momentum after registering a convincing 32-run victory in the series opener, taking a 1-0 lead. Zimbabwe’s pace duo of Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava starred with the ball, while Brian Bennett provided a strong start with the bat to help the home side defend 170 successfully.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, will be desperate to bounce back and keep the series alive. Yasir Ali impressed with a fighting half-century in the opening game, but the visitors suffered a batting collapse against Zimbabwe’s disciplined pace attack. They will need a much-improved all-round performance to level the series.

ZIM vs BAN, 2nd T20I: Match details

• Date and Time: July 17, 4:00 PM IST / 10:30 AM GMT / 12:30 PM Local
• Venue: Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo

ZIM vs BAN Head-to-Head Record in T20Is

Matches Played: 26 | Zimbabwe Won: 10 | Bangladesh Won: 16

Queens Sports Club Pitch Report

The pitch at Queens Sports Club is expected to provide a fair battle between bat and ball. Fast bowlers are likely to get some assistance with the new ball early in the innings, making the powerplay an important phase for both teams. As the match progresses, the surface generally slows down, allowing spinners to extract more grip and turn.

Batters who spend time at the crease can make the most of the conditions, but stroke-making is expected to become more difficult in the second innings. A first-innings total of around 155 to 165 could prove to be competitive, and the captain winning the toss may prefer to bat first and put runs on the board.

Squads

Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Ben Curran, Brad Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Milton Shumba

Bangladesh: Towhid Hridoy (c), Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan, Mohammad Saif Hassan, Mosaddek Hossain, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Rishad Hossain, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abdul Gaffar Saqlain

Also READ: Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava star as Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh in 1st T20I

ZIM vs BAN, 2nd T20I, Today’s Match Prediction

Case 1:

• ZIM wins the toss and bowls first
• BAN’s powerplay score: 45-50
• BAN’s total score: 155-165

Case 2:

• BAN wins the toss and bowls first
• ZIM’s powerplay score: 50-55
• ZIM’s total score: 165-175

Match result: Team bowling first to win the contest.

Also READ: Mohammad Kaif and Zaheer Khan share views on Gautam Gambhir’s coaching stint